Belgrade's budget re-balance allocates funds for a tunnel under Terazija, tracks on the Ada bridge, renovation of markets...

At today's session, Belgrade City Council confirmed a proposed decision on re-balancing the budget for 2016, which will now be put before the City Assembly on 22 June. Mayor Siniša Mali said that this is just a continued consolidation of the public finances.

“This re-balance of the city budget is above all the result of increased revenues of about 9.9 billion dinars above the planned level”, said Mali. “This shows increased commercial activity in Belgrade, as a good environment for investment and business development.”

Belgrade's mayor declared that it frees up funds to pay for some important projects for the capital.

“With this re-balance we have allocated funds for some important projects that have been on hold for decades, like the reconstruction of Bezistan underground pedestrian passage and the connection to Nušićeva street, and building a tunnel between the banks of the Sava and Danube, an idea that has been around for over 70 years.

“It has also allowed us to make the detailed regulatory plan and technical documentation for the Ušće park, which will be modelled on Gorki Park in Moscow. Funds have also been set aside for new bicycle tracks, for starting a new Danube bridge at Ada Huja, rebuilding the town's main traffic arteries, renovating the Ada Huja channel and, finally, building the tram tracks over the Ada bridge. All this would be impossible for the city to finance without clever management and good housekeeping”, said the mayor.

Siniša Mali added that funds had also been earmarked for complete reconstruction of four marketplaces in the central city municipalities: the Kalenić, Senjak, Skadarlija and Palilula markets, but also for tidying up the others. He also mentioned that the re-balance will pay for replacing the underground rubbish containers that have long been a problem for the citizens of Belgrade.

Translation provided by: www.halifax-translation.com